


tied up like two ships

by preciousthings



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Feelings, Handcuffs, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2013-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-05 17:52:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1096795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciousthings/pseuds/preciousthings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the thing about calum is, he has these ideas that he thinks are amazing, but are really just terrible. like the worst ideas ever.  </p>
<p>(calum handcuffs michael and luke together)</p>
            </blockquote>





	tied up like two ships

**Author's Note:**

> hiiiiiiii yet again this fic sparked from texting courtney (this time it was about making sure luke's bandmates don't ignore him while they're on holiday) SO HEY COURTNEY THIS IS FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> i dont own anything, unedited/unbetad, all mistakes are mine and the title is from one direction - "strong"

the thing about calum is, he has these ideas that he thinks are amazing, but are really just terrible. like the worst ideas ever. 

handcuffing michael and luke together is one of those ideas. possibly the worst idea calum's ever had. 

it starts when ashton starts talking about how michael is obviously gone for luke (even if michael hadn't told him, cal would've figured it out eventually) and luke is just obliviously endeared by michael. it makes calum think. and what better way for them to fess up to their feelings than to be handcuffed together. when he tells ashton his idea, ash is quick to call him insane and "that's horrible. you can't do that." 

except calum is already figuring out how to handcuff them together. while they're asleep is an idea. they share a bed so it wouldn't be that hard, except for the fact that luke is the lightest sleeper in the world. it won't work, there's no way. unless he doesn't do it secretly, then it could work. it could definitely work. 

~

"hey mike, come check this out." calum says and he knows what he's about to do is slightly not okay (very bad), but in his mind, he has to do it. it's the only way to avoid an imminent disaster of feelings. this is meddling, he knows it us, but he also knows what'll happen the longer michael keeps his feelings in. it'll just slip and luke will get all freaked out and there goes the entire friendship, all feelings aside. it's kind of a shitty thing to do, but he's just trying to help. 

michael sees the handcuffs and immediately says, "fuck no. not gonna happen."

calum reaches for michael's right wrist, snaps the handcuff on before michael can protest. it works. easier than calum thought, honestly. 

"luke!" calum calls. this is so close to actually working.

"where the hell did you get handcuffs from?" luke asks as soon as he sees them dangling from michael's wrist. 

"found them in my room last time we were in sydney. i guess my dad got them from work or something." calum smirks, grabs luke's left wrist and clicks the handcuff into place around it. 

"unlock it." luke frowns. 

"i kind of don't have the key." and cal's kind of lying because of course he has the key.

"haha, very funny, cal. open it." michael says. he's not amused. very, very clearly not amused. 

"i'm serious." calum tries not to burst out laughing. they're so  _mad_. 

"are you fucking kidding me?! you just handcuffed me to luke and you can't unlock them?" 

"sorry?" calum slowly backs out of the room, smirk on his face. he did it, he actually did it. 

~

"of all the people in the world calum could've handcuffed me to, why you. why not like, mila kunis." luke sighs, a few hours later. they've figured out how to walk up stairs and fit through doorways and maneuver around the hotel stuck together the way they are, and it's a lot harder than they originally thought. michael will go to grab something with the handcuffed hand and yank luke's body forward by his arm. there's a lot of pulling around and it kind of hurts. 

"you're stuck with me. i'm more interesting than mila kunis anyway." 

"but she's nicer to look at." luke pouts. "if i were handcuffed to her she wouldn't be yanking me in every direction just to laugh at me." 

"shut up, i'm not that bad." michael says. "i could be so much worse." 

and luke's thankful he's not, honestly. he likes this michael. this michael still tells him to shut up a lot and makes fun of him sometimes, but this michael can be nice too. luke doesn't like when michael ignores him for days when they're on holiday. this michael might be mean, but this michael cares about him, behind all of the _shut up_ 's. getting michael to admit that, though, would be next to impossible. luke'll just have to work on it. 

~

"michael, i have to pee." 

michael groans. "no. hell no." 

"but i have to go!" luke whines. he really does. it's gotten to the point where this is just really not okay anymore. 

"but then i'd have to see.... y'know." 

"you act like you've never seen my dick before." luke smirks. 

"yeah, but i've never seen you piss. that's just like, a whole different level of seeing you naked. i've seen cal naked but i wouldn't watch him piss." 

"michael,  _pleaseeeeee_." luke pouts. "you can close your eyes." 

"i'm the only person in the world that your pout doesn't work on." michael smirks, turns away from luke the best he can, attempts to cross his arms before he remembers he's pulling luke. 

luke knows that if he pouts enough it'll work, because it always does. michael's just a liar. 

it works. luke laughs at michael and walks in front of him going down to the bathroom, tugging his left arm forward a little bit just to piss michael off. two can play this game. 

michael closes his eyes and sings something loudly (luke still doesn't know why he was singing) while luke pisses and waits until they're out of the bathroom before he opens his eyes (luke takes that opportunity to push him into a wall). 

~

"i need to take a shower." michael says. it's late, nearing midnight. being handcuffed together is easier now that they've gotten used to it but they still move the wrong way sometimes. they've been playing ps3 for a few hours now, figuring out how to use a controller with luke's right hand and michael's left hand and then playing a few different games. 

"i guess i do too, then. you won't get all weird about seeing my dick? would you rather i showered with clothes on? closed my eyes?" luke grins. 

"you're such a little shit, luke." 

"but you love it." luke says, stands up, pulling michael with him. 

michael gets quiet after that. luke doesn't know why, is it something he said? was it the love thing? it couldn't be... no, it's not even- michael can't take that the wrong way. he means it the way he always means it. as a friend thing. he friend-loves michael the way michael friend-loves him. the same way him and calum friend-love each other.

he's had so many weird conversations with michael today. dicks and pissing and showering. 

they shower together because they don't really have a choice. it's awkward but not tense, and definitely not the way luke thought the first time he showers with a guy would be like. they keep bumping into each other and flinging the connected arms and everything is more difficult with one hand; washing bodies and hair, so they have no choice but to help each other out. they wash each other's hair. it's nice. 

the weirdest part is luke thinking he could get used to this. not being handcuffed, but being this close to michael. that scares him. 

~

it takes them a long time to get comfortable in bed together. it's not the first time they've slept in a bed together. that's happened every night since they got to l.a. but luke likes to sleep on his side, curled up a little bit, but that's nearly impossible if he doesn't want to lay on his arm (and michael's arm). so sleeping on his back it is. michael falls asleep quickly, a lot faster than he usually does. his phone's lit up on his chest like he forgot to shut up off and just crashed. luke uses his free arm to grab michael's phone and he almost shuts it off without reading anything but he sees _kiss him_  in a text and then he can't just not read it. he was texting calum before he fell asleep. luke scrolls up a little bit to where it starts with  _open the fucking handcuffs_ and cal replying with  _no can do_ _;)._

it keeps going back and forth until calum texts  _tell luke you kinda sorta wanna kiss him and i'll unlock the cuffs_. 

tell him. kiss him. him? him as in luke? definitely him as in luke. 

_you're such a little shit calum i can't believe you would do this to me how am i supposed to tell him i can't he'll hate me_

cal replies something else that luke doesn't bother reading. he shuts the phone off and puts it on the table next to their bed. 

michael likes him. 

luke just read a text he wasn't supposed to see and now he knows that michael likes him. 

he's never even really known that michael's into guys.

michael's into  _him_. 

he's so screwed. 

~

it's kind of like this. 

luke never thought about guys  _that way_ until michael. he's always been just a little bit attracted to michael. because michael's cute, right, with his green eyes and really nice lips and crazy hair and that really cute smile. 

it's a barely there but always in the back of his head thought that kind of just has been there since year 9 when they wanted to kill each other.  

but now he's close with michael, like really close, like they share a bed because they don't like sleeping alone and they just took a shower together. it's times like that when the feelings aren't barely there, they're just  _there_. 

and now knowing michael feels the same, luke doesn't know what to do. he's never known what to do with this, but now he's completely clueless.

~

when they wake up, michael forgets about the handcuffs and yanks a still asleep luke forward when he tries to get up. 

"for fucks sake, mike." he mumbles into his pillow. 

"sorry, sorry." michael says, gets back into bed and cuddles luke the best he can. "forgive me?" 

"keep snuggling and i might." 

so that's how they spend their morning. 

when they both finally decide to get up, they find calum and ashton have already left, so it's just the two of them for the day. michael picks up his guitar and sits down on the couch, luke sitting down close next to him. "lets try this," he says. "y'think we could do it?" 

they're sitting close, so close. there's no space in between them, luke's pressed against michael and the feelings are rushing back. this has happened too many times lately. he changes the subject, seeing what he could get out of michael without having to say anything himself. he doesn't think he can do that just yet. "i-is there anything you need to tell me?" 

michael slowly puts distance between him and luke. scoots back just a little bit, not enough to drag luke back too. "are you trying to get me to tell you something?" 

michael is too smart. 

"no? maybe?" luke says. he's officially in too deep. there's absolutely no getting out of this now. 

he is a shitty best friend. he read his best friend's super personal private text messages and now he's trying to get the super personal things he already knows out. this is terrible. luke is terrible. 

"maybe? what the hell does maybe mean?" 

luke thinks  _fuck it_ because he doesn't think it could get worse. that's when he decides to just tell him in a way that won't feel like ripping a band-aid off. "hypothetically, what would you say if i told you that after you fell asleep last night i read some texts you sent calum?" 

" _luke_." michael says. it's all he says. 

"i'm sorry, mikey. i know i was never supposed to see that stuff but-" luke gets cut off.

"shut up, luke." michael sighs. "please tell me you didn't see what i thought you saw."

luke looks forward, up, down at the carpet,  _anywhere but michael_. he can't do this. he's out. he would bolt out of the room if he could without dragging michael behind him. damn handcuffs. "it depends on what you're thinking, i guess." 

" _look at me, luke._ tell me what you saw." 

"calsaidyouwantedtokissme." luke mumbles. 

"slow, luke." 

this is going to make or break them. this right here is everything. "cal said you wanted to kiss me. and then you said something about not wanting to because i would hate you." luke says, finally making eye contact with michael.

"do you hate me?" michael asks quietly, and luke's never heard him sound like that, so vulnerable. "i wouldn't blame you. sorry for even thinking that."  _sorry for thinking about you like that_  goes unsaid but luke can tell it's there, at the tip of his tongue. 

luke figures out a way to wrap his handcuffed hand around michael's so they're holding hands. michael squeezes, luke squeezes back. taking so long to answer probably scares michael. "no." he finally says. "no, i don't hate you. am i upset that you thought you couldn't tell me? a little bit. because i would kiss you back. if you ever did. just so you know." 

"do you think i could try?" 

luke nods and turns so he's facing michael now. michael leans in and then they're kissing. it feels so natural, kissing michael, like he's done it hundreds of times before. it's sweet, like a first kiss should be. luke wraps his free arm around michael's waist and slips his hand under his shirt, just a bit. it's not an ideal first kiss, with each of them having a completely useless arm, but it's the best kiss luke's ever had. 

when they pull apart, luke laughs softly, "i think we could ask cal to unlock us now." 

"later. just wanna kiss you right now, lukey." 

and as michael leans in to kiss him again, luke thinks that these stupid handcuffs are the best thing that's ever happened to him, next to michael. 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope this was somewhat okay thanks for reading ! x


End file.
